USD File Format Plugins
March 11, 2026 · View on GitHub
USD File Format Plugins
These USD file-format-plugins allow the interchange between Pixar's USD (.usd, .usda, .usdz) and the following file formats, with cross platform support (windows, macos, and linux):
| Plugin | File Format | Extension |
|---|---|---|
| usdfbx | Autodesk's FBX | .fbx |
| usdgltf | Khronos' glTF | .gtlf .glb |
| usdobj | Wavefront's obj | .obj |
| usdply | Polygon File Format | .ply |
| usdsbsar | SBSAR file format | .sbsar |
| usdspz | Niantic Labs SPZ | .spz |
| usdstl | STL file format | .stl |
Each file format's readme contains what they support.
Supported features legend:
✅ Supported
⚠️ Supported with known issues
❌ Not supported
⦸ Not applicable/no support planned
Dependencies
The following tools are needed:
- C/C++ compiler (MSVC 19/22, GCC, Clang, Xcode)
- clang-format 16.0.0
- Python 3.10
- CMake 3.24
- Doxygen 1.9.8
The following dependencies are needed:
| Dependency | Version | Affects | Optional |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pixar USD | 23.08-25.11 | all | no |
| GTest | 1.11.0 | all tests | yes |
| Eigen | 3.4.0 | usdply, usdspz | no |
| FBX SDK | 2020.3.7 | usdfbx | no |
| LibXml2 | 2.10.0 | usdfbx | no |
| Zlib | 1.2.11 | usdfbx, usdgltf | no |
| TinyGltf | 2.8.21 | usdgltf | no |
| Draco | 1.56 | usdgltf | yes |
| Fmt | 10.1.1 | usdobj | no |
| FastFloat | 1.1.2 | usdobj | no |
| Happly | cfa2611 | usdply | no |
| Spherical Harmonics | ccb6c7f | usdply, usdspz | no |
| Spz | fd4e2a5 | usdspz | no |
| Substance | 9.1.2 | usdsbsar | no |
Coding Standards
Linting standards are defined within ./.clang-format. All changes within pull requests are expected to now follow these standards. To ensure this, it is advised setup IDEs with format on save features. Alternatively, formatting can be run on all cpp and header files by running the following bash command:
find . -iname '*.h' -o -iname '*.cpp' | xargs clang-format -i
Build
1. Setup dependencies
-
Install a C/C++ compiler.
-
Install clang-format.
-
Install cmake.
-
Install python and the following pip components:
pyside6,pyopengl. -
Build and install USD entering in a terminal (in windows a x64 Native Tools Command prompt):
python <USD_SOURCE_PATH>/build_scripts/build_usd.py <USD_INSTALL_PATH> --onetbb --no-examples --draco --openimageio --build-variant release--no-examplesis needed to omit the example plugin usdObj that ships with USD from the install, as it will conflict with our usdObj plugin.Add
--build-target universalfor universal binaries in macos.If adding
--openimageioyou may need these fixes:- https://github.com/PixarAnimationStudios/OpenUSD/pull/2517
- https://github.com/PixarAnimationStudios/OpenUSD/pull/2079
Setup USD environment variables:
<USD_INSTALL_PATH>/bintoPATH<USD_INSTALL_PATH>/libtoPATHin windows, or toLD_LIBRARY_PATHin linux, mac<USD_INSTALL_PATH>/lib64toLD_LIBRARY_PATHin linux<USD_INSTALL_PATH>/lib/pythontoPYTHONPATH
If USD was built with Python (default behavior with the build script), ensure the environment has access to the Python it was built with. In particular, on Windows, ensure that PATH includes the location of the Python dll used. (Alternatively, the Python dll can also be copied into <USD_INSTALL_PATH>/bin).
In linux you may need these other dependencies:
```
sudo apt update
sudo apt install libgl1-mesa-dev mesa-common-dev
```
-
Install FBX SDK.
-
You can install GTest, ZLIB, TinyGltf, Draco, fmt, FastFloat, Happly and OpenImageIO, or let cmake fetch them in the next steps (except for OpenImageIO). Also, you can leverage the installation of ZLIB, Draco and OpenImageIO included in USD.
-
Substance SDK Integration
- Download the SDK: Visit the Adobe Developer Console and log in or create an account if necessary.
- Locate the SDK: Use the search bar to find the ‘Adobe Substance 3D Materials SDK’. Version 9.1.2
2. Get it
git clone https://github.com/adobe/USD-Fileformat-plugins
3. Configure, build and install it
To configure, build and install go to the project root folder and, using a multi-configuration backend (MSVC, ...) enter:
cmake -S . -B build -DCMAKE_INSTALL_PREFIX=bin <OPTIONS>
cmake --build build --config release
cmake --install build --config release
or using a single-configuration backend (Make, ...) enter:
cmake -S . -B build -DCMAKE_INSTALL_PREFIX=bin -DCMAKE_BUILD_TYPE=Release <OPTIONS>
cmake --build build
cmake --install build
where:
<OPTIONS>is a list of extra options, as follows:
| Option | Description | Default | Affects |
|---|---|---|---|
| -Dpxr_ROOT | Points to the USD installation | empty | all |
| -DGTest_ROOT | Points to the GTest installation | empty | all tests |
| -DFBXSDK_ROOT | Points to the Fbx installation | empty | usdfbx |
| -Dsubstance_DIR | Points to the Substance SDK installation | empty | usdsbsar |
| -DZLIB_ROOT | Points to the ZLIB installation | empty | usdfbx |
| -DLibXml2_ROOT | Points to the LibXml2 installation | empty | usdfbx |
| -DTinyGLTF_ROOT | Points to the TinyGLTF installation | empty | usdgltf |
| -Ddraco_ROOT | Points to the draco installation | empty | usdgltf |
| -Dfmt_ROOT | Points to the fmt installation | empty | usdobj |
| -DFastFloat_ROOT | Points to the FastFloat installation | empty | usdobj |
| -DHapply_ROOT | Points to the Happly installation | empty | usdply |
| -DUSD_FILEFORMATS_BUILD_TESTS | Enables tests | ON | all tests |
| -DUSD_FILEFORMATS_ENABLE_FBX | Enables fbx plugin | ON | usdfbx |
| -DUSD_FILEFORMATS_ENABLE_GLTF | Enables gltf plugin | ON | usdgltf |
| -DUSD_FILEFORMATS_ENABLE_OBJ | Enables obj plugin | ON | usdobj |
| -DUSD_FILEFORMATS_ENABLE_PLY | Enables ply plugin | ON | usdply |
| -DUSD_FILEFORMATS_ENABLE_SPZ | Enables spz plugin | ON | usdspz |
| -DUSD_FILEFORMATS_ENABLE_STL | Enables stl plugin | ON | usdstl |
| -DUSD_FILEFORMATS_ENABLE_SBSAR | Enables sbsar plugin | OFF | usdsbsar |
| -DUSD_FILEFORMATS_ENABLE_DRACO | Enables draco in usdgltf | OFF | usdgltf |
| -DUSD_FILEFORMATS_FORCE_FETCHCONTENT | Forces FetchContent for various packages | OFF | all |
| -DUSD_FILEFORMATS_FETCH_GTEST | Forces FetchContent for GTest | ON | all tests |
| -DUSD_FILEFORMATS_FETCH_TINYGLTF | Forces FetchContent for TinyGLTF | ON | usdgltf |
| -DUSD_FILEFORMATS_FETCH_ZLIB | Forces FetchContent for Zlib | OFF | usdfbx |
| -DUSD_FILEFORMATS_FETCH_LIBXML2 | Forces FetchContent for LibXml2 | OFF | usdfbx |
| -DUSD_FILEFORMATS_FETCH_HAPPLY | Forces FetchContent for Happly | ON | usdply |
| -DUSD_FILEFORMATS_FETCH_FMT | Forces FetchContent for Fmt | ON | usdobj |
| -DUSD_FILEFORMATS_FETCH_FASTFLOAT | Forces FetchContent for FastFLoat | ON | usdobj |
| -DUSD_FILEFORMATS_ENABLE_ASM | Generate a ASM based material network on layerwrite | OFF |
ZLIB, Draco and OpenImageIO packages are hinted to search into the USD installation by default. Override this by setting their ROOT or their FETCH variables (no fetch for OIIO).
The previous commands will place intermediate files into the folder build and install binaries into the folder bin.
Also, make the plugins discoverable by USD to complete installation, by adding the path <INSTALL_PATH>/plugin/usd to the PXR_PLUGINPATH_NAME environment variable (in this example: USD-Fileformat-plugins/bin/plugin/usd).
- Note when building on Linux:
-DUSD_FILEFORMATS_ENABLE_CXX11_ABI=ON
Test (https://github.com/pages/adobe/USD-Fileformat-plugins)
- Requires USD built with "--openimageio"
For Windows/Mac:
python ./USD/build_scripts/build_usd.py ./usd-install --build-shared --usd-imaging --tools --generator <GENERATOR> --openimageio --build-variant release
For Linux:
python ./USD/build_scripts/build_usd.py ./usd-install --use-cxx11-abi=1 --build-shared --usd-imaging --tools --generator <GENERATOR> --openimageio --build-variant release
1. Install pip components
- Open your terminal and run the following commands to install the required Python packages:
pip install -r scripts/requirements.txt
2. Install Plugins (Environment variables or Copy plugins to USD install)
Environment Variables
For Windows:
set PATH=%PATH%;.\USD-Fileformat-plugins\bin\bin;.\USD-Fileformat-plugins\bin\plugin\usd
set PXR_PLUGINPATH_NAME=%PXR_PLUGINPATH_NAME%;.\USD-Fileformat-plugins\bin\plugin\usd
For Linux
export PATH=$PATH:./USD-Fileformat-plugins/bin/bin:./USD-Fileformat-plugins/bin/plugin/usd
export LD_LIBRARY_PATH=$LD_LIBRARY_PATH:./USD-Fileformat-plugins/bin/lib:./USD-Fileformat-plugins/bin/lib64
export PXR_PLUGINPATH_NAME=$PXR_PLUGINPATH_NAME:./USD-Fileformat-plugins/bin/plugin/usd
For Mac
export PATH=$PATH:./USD-Fileformat-plugins/bin/bin:./USD-Fileformat-plugins/bin/plugin/usd
export LD_LIBRARY_PATH=$LD_LIBRARY_PATH:./USD-Fileformat-plugins/bin/lib
export DYLD_LIBRARY_PATH=$DYLD_LIBRARY_PATH:./USD-Fileformat-plugins/bin/lib
export PXR_PLUGINPATH_NAME=$PXR_PLUGINPATH_NAME:./USD-Fileformat-plugins/bin/plugin/usd
Or Copy plugins:
- Copy the installed plugins and dependent shared libraries to the specified folder:
mkdir -p ./LOCAL_USD_INSTALL/plugin/usd cp -r ./USD-Fileformat-plugins/bin/plugin/usd/* ./LOCAL_USD_INSTALL/plugin/usd/ cp ./USD-Fileformat-plugins/bin/bin/* ./LOCAL_USD_INSTALL/plugin/usd/
3. Run Tests
- Dependencies
pip install -r ../USD-Fileformat-plugins/scripts/requirements.txt - Use pytest to run the tests:
pytest ./USD-Fileformat-plugins/test/test.py
4. (Optional) Update Tests
- To generate new baseline data for tests, run the following command:
python ./USD-Fileformat-plugins/test/test.py --generate_baseline
CI Workflow
Our GitHub Actions setup includes two main workflows to support continuous integration.
1. CI Build Workflow
This workflow is triggered by any push or pull request to the main branch and ensures compatibility with Universal Scene Description (USD) versions:
- Versions Tested: Builds against the oldest (23.08) and newest (25.11) supported USD versions regularly.
- Weekly Builds: The workflow builds against all supported USD versions to confirm ongoing compatibility.
- Post-Build Testing: Following the build, each plugin undergoes sanity testing, including loading a cube to check basic functionality.
- Supported Plugins: Currently supports FBXm GLTF, OBJ, PLY, and STL. Note: SBSAR plugin is not supported due to SDK constraints.
- Individual plugin build result badges are on their respective README pages.
2. Create USD Release Workflow
This manually triggered workflow involves the following steps:
- Build Specification: Takes a specific USD version as input, builds USD with OpenImageIO, and then creates a release.
- Archiving: Compiled USD builds are archived per platform and added as binary data to the release, which keeps the repository's clone size manageable.
- Environment Setup: After downloading and expanding the release archive, users should configure their environment as follows:
- In the following steps
USD_DIRis the directory where the release archive was expanded. - Add
USD_DIR\libandUSD_DIR\binto yourPATHin windows, or toLD_LIBRARY_PATHin linux, mac - Set
PYTHONPATHtoUSD_DIR\lib\python. - Set
USD_BUILD_DIRasUSD_DIR.
- In the following steps
Usage
USD will now be able to work with the supported files, for example:
- Use the USD tools on fbx:
usdview <fbx> # Converts FBX to USD
usdcat <fbx> # Converts FBX to USD
usdcat <usd> -o <fbx> # Converts USD to FBX
- Use the C++ USD API:
#include <pxr/usd/usd/stage.h>
UsdStageRefPtr stage = UsdStage::Open("cube.fbx")
stage->Export("cube.usd")
- Use the Python USD API:
from pxr import Usd
stage = Usd.Stage.Open("cube.fbx")
stage.Export("cube.usd")
Refer to each plugin's README for more details.
Documentation
To generate the documentation go to the project root folder and enter:
doxygen
The resulting documentation will be placed at the docs folder.